overview usa

Overview of Travel Agencies in the US

The travel industry continues to grow worldwide and increasingly so in the US. Every year consumers spend billions of dollars on airline tickets, cruises, hotels, car rentals etc and travel agents book almost 90% of all this travel. That is why there are so many travel agents and agencies becoming apparent within the US. The industry can be extremely rewarding and enjoyable to work in as well.

Different ways to enter into a travel agency in the US

There are three ways that you can enter into the travel industry in the US:

Travel Agent School

You could pay a couple of thousand dollars to go to a travel agent school. This will provide you with all the relevant qualifications and will stand you in good stead when it comes to working as a travel agent. However, working for someone else as a travel agent does not provide a very good wage. Normally, travel agents are at the lower end of the wage scale, earning minimum wage and relatively low commissions.

Have your own travel agency shop

You could choose to invest in a shop and open your own travel agency, however this will cost you a substantial amount of money. Although, you would receive a reasonable amount of commission from the suppliers, you will have to use this to pay overhead and operating costs such as rent, telephones, computers, payment of staff and benefits. Also, if you do not have at least two years experience in the travel industry then you will not be able to get accredited by any professional travel industry affiliations and without this very few clients and suppliers will take you seriously.

Host Agencies in the US

A host agency allows independent travel agencies to operate under their license and bonds. This allows independent travel agencies with no previous experience to run their travel agency form home through a computer therefore saving on overhead and operating costs. This is an extremely popular trend in the US because it allows many people to work from home and make a decent amount of money. Host agencies normally charge a registration or join up fee of about $125 then an annual fee of around $100, which is not that much considering the money that you could earn in a year.

There are numerous host agencies in the US but just ensure before you register or pass on money that the company is fully legitimate. A list of host agencies is available here (list of host agencies page)

Scams within the US Travel Industry

As with many industries you will find that there are many scams going on within the market. This is particularly true in the US travel industry, mainly due to the fact that it is a huge and successful market that many people in society want to get involved in. Scamers in the travel industry see many opportunities to get people to part with money for what they describe as a "must have" when setting up your own travel agency.

Most of these scamers are trying to sell you books, videos, CDs or even courses which will provide you with everything you need to know and do when starting up your own travel agency. Most of the websites that are promoting these products and services are just trying to trick you into buying things that you dont really need! Of course a minority of these companies may be genuine but you must be aware that most of them are not and the material that they are selling at quite a high price will not be of any use to you. Furthermore, the material that they are selling is all readily available on the Internet for free so all you need to do is look!

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